The moon is beautiful, isn't it?
by Miss SunnySunshine
Summary: He looks outside through the massive glass walls where the orange and purple hues of the sky are darker than when they arrived. The moon isn't out yet. Defeated, he slumps down and covers his face with both hands. "Yeah, the moon is beautiful." A collection of unrelated and plotless (very short) one-shots. Pairing: CoAi/ShinShi
1. The moon is beautiful, isn't it?

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

**Author's Note**: This will be a compilation of short one-shots that I have written. They are unrelated and plotless. Length may vary but they usually have less than 1000 words, some are even less than 500. And of course, the pairing is solid CoAi/ShinShi.

* * *

**-01-**

**The moon is beautiful, isn't it?**

**_"Tsuki ga kirei desune?"_**

Beautiful orange and purple hues paint the sky as the sun starts setting down, making way for the moon to come out. Two teenagers emerge from a parked taxi outside an international airport. Shiho Miyano pays for their cab fare as Shinichi Kudo heaves her light blue luggage out of the trunk. They are now at the airport where, in a few moments, they will separate for good; where Shiho will leave to who-knows-where and where their somewhat short partnership will also end.

Somewhere at the back of his mind, Shinichi feels despondent. He has tried so hard to convince her to stay, to no avail obviously. However, as he always has been, he tries to act casual with her.

Nonetheless, try as he might, the high school detective just cannot erase the feeling of loneliness and anxiety of their impending dissociation. Perhaps, this is merely due to her constant presence in his life as Conan Edogawa which he has greatly taken for granted. Now she is leaving and he doesn't know to where because she will never say. For all he knew, her flight may be in a few minutes, in a few hours, or it may not be today at all. Under normal circumstances, he would probably investigate until he knows everything there is to know, but he has promised her to leave her be for now. After everything they have gone through, this is the least he can do for his self-proclaimed partner.

They walk ever so slowly from the taxi bay to the entrance of the airport and finally up to the lobby where non-passengers are allowed to stay. They are silent for the whole duration as Shinichi pulls the luggage beside him and as Shiho silently walks on his other side.

"Kudo-kun, did you know?" They are too absorbed in their respective thoughts that Shinichi is startled when she suddenly speaks. He looks at her inquiringly, silently telling her to continue.

"In the past, commenting about how beautiful the moon is, is said to be an indirect way of confessing to someone." She is facing forward as she speaks softly with an equally soft expression on her face. She looks peaceful at the moment like they have not just went through hell and back for taking down the biggest crime syndicate a few weeks ago.

The young detective nods and answers, "Oh yes. Apparently, Japanese people of the olden times were reserved and weren't very direct in expressing their feelings. According to Souseki Natsume, the best translation for 'I love you' is that sentence. Nowadays, it is often used to express love." Shinichi says matter-of-factly. He is looking upfront too, not knowing that his companion is looking at him intently this time. "_'The moon is beautiful'_. It's poetic, don't you think?" He smiles to himself.

Mockingly, she replies, "As expected of one Shinichi Kudo. You know everything, don't you?"

In response, Shinichi rolls his eyes. "Ha ha. Very funny." But the telltale smile on his face indicates that he isn't really mad nor insulted.

Suddenly, Shiho stops and turns to face her only companion. "I'm fine here, Kudo-kun."

The young detective looks like he doesn't really want to leave just yet, but he thought otherwise when he saw the unusual gentle smile on her face, something he has never seen before.

Swallowing his protests, he says instead, "Well, I guess this is it. I wish you well on your life free of the organization from now on, Haibara."

The young scientist raises an eyebrow upon hearing her pseudonym. Shinichi realizes his mistake and corrects himself. "Sorry, Shiho I mean." Old habits die hard, he thought.

He is so casual about it but Shiho takes note of his use of her given name. She smiles once again.

She nods once to him and promptly turns. He is left there standing and watching her retreating figure. A myriad of emotions flit through his being, and an unfamiliar feeling of emptiness settles in his heart. Before he does something stupid like call her out and beg her to stay, he turns around to leave the edifice.

However, he stops in his tracks when a very familiar feminine voice calls out his name.

There, several meters away from him, she stands with her hands behind her. People pass by her but she doesn't seem to mind. Shiho says in a loud voice enough for him to hear. "The moon is beautiful, isn't it?" She gives him a beautiful toothy smile and turns back around, leaving him dumbfounded.

He looks outside through the massive glass walls where the orange and purple hues of the sky are darker than when they arrived.

The moon isn't out yet.

It has taken Shinichi a few moments before he realizes the meaning behind her words. When he looks back at where she used to stand, she is nowhere in sight anymore. He is met with dozens of people swarming around the airport, failing to see a familiar brunette with light blue luggage.

Defeated, he slumps down and covers his face with both of his hands. "Dammit, Haibara."

"Yeah, the moon is beautiful," he whispers to no one but himself.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Souseki Natsume was a real novelist, and apart from his literary works, he was also known for pointing out that the Japanese "Tsuki ga kirei desu ne?", which literally means "The moon is beautiful, is it not?", was the best translation for '"I love you". Unfortunately, there was no citable reference to back this up but this had been widely known already, or so I read. For more information, you can search it online. And if I made a mistake somewhere regarding this topic, do let me know. :)

Honestly though, I was merely inspired to write this after reading that fan theory about Shinobu Kocho saying the same line, "tsuki ga kirei desu ne?" to Tomioka Giyuu from Kimetsu no Yaiba. lol they're so cute too


	2. Hold my hand

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-02-**

**Hold my hand.**

"Hurry up! We're already late as it is," high-schooler Edogawa Conan called out as he maneuvered his way in a crowded place.

Haibara Ai, who was struggling to keep up, frowned and replied with a snippy, "If someone had not gotten distracted, we would've been there on time."

It was summer and the festival venue was packed with people. The Detective Boys agreed to going to the event together but a certain young detective poked his nose where it did not belong and now they were half an hour late for their meeting.

"Hey, it's hardly a distraction. I helped solve a case, I brought justice to the victim."

"Which can be professionally done by the police who, by the way, were already present at the scene and were trying to get to the bottom of it. They can do that even without employing your help."

The tone in her voice clearly indicated annoyance and Conan knew not to add more fuel to the fire. Regardless, he hated verbally losing to this girl so he countered with an equally irritated voice, "Okay fine, I'm sorry okay? It would've nagged at me all night if I hadn't pointed out the culprit." He was irritated, alright, but he knew not to anger her more at this point. After all, Haibara hated not being on time the most.

She clicked her tongue, which she did not usually do (a clear sign of her exasperation). "Right, of course," she muttered, words dripping with sarcasm.

Conan decided to abate her frustration by not retorting anymore but that did not mean he wasn't as equally frustrated as she was. It was just better not to fight with her any longer than this. They continued to slip through the crowd with little ease. It was especially hard for Haibara who was getting swept away.

"Ouch!" Conan stopped in his tracks and turned to face his only companion upon hearing her distressed cry.

Haibara was keeping up but she was obviously trying hard to do so because she kept being pushed back by people. Sighing, the young detective stretched out his hand to offer to his petite partner. "Here, hold my hand, shrimpy."

Haibara frowned, not at all liking the nickname he gave her and especially the annoying smirk on his face.

"Shut up," was her ineloquent response, yet she still took his hand. Conan pulled her with him, deftly dodging people which made it easy for her to walk in the crowd. "Well I'm sorry for not being as tall as you."

He cringed as an image of a very tall Haibara flashed in his mind. "Please, don't give me weird ideas."

At last, they pulled through and were now out in an open, crowd-less area. Several meters away, the rest of the Detective Boys, who grew up into fine teenagers, were enthusiastically waving at them.

Before approaching them however, Conan stopped and turned around to face his companion once more, hand still holding hers. "But you're fine as you are though." He looked at her intently before nodding to himself. "Yup, I like the current you best." _Even the short-tempered part of you_, he added mentally to himself. _Heh, a short-tempered shorty_, he thought.

He turned to face forward again and continued their way to their waiting friends.

The pinkish tint on her cheeks were unmistakable but she tried to cover it up with sarcasm. "Right, and it's not just because you like looking down on people."

He laughed merrily, clearly not taking it as an insult. "That's not it but whatever."

It was funny how one moment they were arguing and the next they were bantering. That was just how their relationship worked and that was exactly what made it special.

Ayumi, Genta and Mitsuhiko complained about their being late when they arrived but they also took note of their intertwined hands even as they stopped and stood in front of them.

* * *

**Edit: **I noticed a missing line so I added it back.


	3. Fine, I'll stay

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-03-**

**Fine, I'll stay**

"Kudo-kun," Haibara Ai called as she saw her fellow classmate sitting under the shade of a flower-filled cherry blossom tree behind the school gymnasium.

Startled as he was not expecting anyone to come, Conan swiftly turned to see who disturbed his much needed peace. He visibly relaxed upon seeing a familiar face. "Oh Haibara, it's only you."

Haibara smirked and mockingly asked, "Running away from your avid fans?"

The apparent distress in the young detective's face made Haibara chuckle. He had been trying to hide from fangirls who wanted a glimpse of the Kid Killer after yet another almost-successful apprehension of the famous thief. "I thought you liked the attention, Kudo?"

He glared at her when she laughed. "Maybe as Kudo Shinichi. But as Edogawa Conan, not particularly."

"What's the difference anyway? Both are you."

Conan was silent for a moment. When he spoke, his tone was grave. "Well... Shinichi had only known of mysteries and cases and being popular. Conan had to literally face danger every waking moment of his new life. Who knows what would happen if word got out that I'm the shrunken Kudo Shinichi, no matter how absurd it sounds."

Haibara fell silent. She had no refute to that. Everything he said was the truth, and at the back of her mind, she blamed herself for dragging him to this dangerous situation.

They both let the deafening silence hung between them, both looking far ahead but at nothing in particular.

They both knew that time had passed but no one spoke until the warning bell rung for their afternoon class. Haibara broke the silence and excused herself. "I'll go back now. Unlike someone, I don't plan to skip nor be late in class."

Conan rolled his eyes. When she turned to walk away, panic welled within him and he unconsciously reached for her wrist. She looked at him inquiringly. "I, uh- why don't you stay longer?" he asked sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand. When the woman in front of him simply raised a rather elegant eyebrow, Conan sighed and said, "Look, I don't really know why I stopped you but it would be nice to have some, uh, company?" Somehow, it ended up a question, but he knew that he really wanted her to stay.

Haibara looked at him intently, making him a bit uneasy. When the second bell rung, which means no matter how fast she would run to class she would still be late, she sighed and said, "Fine, I'll stay." And she plopped beside him under the cherry blossom tree. "You owe me for needlessly skipping class today, Kudo."

Conan grinned at her. "I'll make you coffee every morning for a week," he compensated.

"Make that a month," she said in a no-nonsense way.

"Fine," he compromised before promptly lying down on her lap.

"And a new Fusae purse," she added as she softly flicked his forehead with her finger.

Conan merely laughed. Nothing could make this day worse, he thought. Not even over-enthusiastic fans nor an expensive branded bag, not even becoming a coffee slave for a month.


	4. With a strawberry on top

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-04-**

**With a strawberry on top**

Shiho Miyano is currently focused on her research work down in her self-proclaimed laboratory in the basement of the Professor's house. When she hears thudding sounds from upstairs, the opening and closing of cupboard doors and the banging of utensils, she merely sighs as she already knew who the culprit is. When her door opens, the overly loud voice of a certain detective echoes within the room.

"Yo, Miyano! I brought some food," he said as he brought up the tray he was holding. "I have strawberry milk here. There's also strawberry cheesecake. Or would you rather have the strawberry shortcake? I also brought fresh strawberries if that's what you prefer?" He looks hopeful, comical even.

Shiho watches with a bored look as he grins sheepishly at her while holding out the tray with all the food he mentioned. "Are you bribing me, Kudo?" She looks unimpressed, and he looks appalled at the notion.

"I would never-" he starts protesting but the lady scientist in front of him cuts him off. "I'm still not going," she deadpans.

Shinichi's mouth opens in shock. "Oh come on, Miyano!" Shinichi places the tray on another table and walks to where she is sitting. "It's just for a night. What harm can it do?"

"Nothing," she simply says. He nods and starts to agree but she cuts him off once again. "But I would be wasting time frolicking in a celebrities' party wearing an uncomfortable long gown when I could have used the time to finish my research."

"I promise you it wouldn't be a waste of your time. You'll have fun, I'm sure," he tries to reason. "Besides, you've been cooped up here all this time. You need a breather or something."

Still looking unimpressed, Shiho says, "That's not really my idea of taking a breather, Kudo."

"But I need a date for that night!" He whines. Really childish in Shiho's opinion.

"Then go find someone else," she says. "Better yet, why don't you just bring your girlfriend with you?"

Shiho continues tapping on her laptop keyboard while occasionally glancing at the piece of paper on the side that has her messy handwriting. Meanwhile, Shinichi falls silent. And when he speaks again, his voice is so serious that Shiho has to stop with whatever she is doing to briefly glance at him. "You do know that Ran's not my girlfriend, Miyano."

The atmosphere somehow becomes heavy. Sensing the tension that she has inadvertently caused, Shiho changes topic. "You shouldn't have promised your mom like that in the first place."

"Well, I didn't like that she mocked me for always being date-less in all of her movie premieres," he mutters as he pouts. Really, can he get any more childish? This man-kid is so not cute at all.

And Shiho is a liar.

"She'll mock you even more if you come solo to the premiere."

"That's why I'm asking you, Miyano. Be my date please, with a strawberry on top," he pleads as he jokingly bats his eyes at her.

Shiho, looking bored, shoos him away. "Whatever. Just leave, Kudo. I'm busy." and she returns to her previous task - typing on her keyboard.

"I'll take that as a yes then?" he happily (and hopefully) says.

The young woman simply rolls her eyes as she gestures him to leave once again.

"Yes! Don't take it back 'cause whether you like it or not, I'm going to drag you to that party with me this Saturday, Miyano."

"Yeah, yeah whatever," she says boredly as she picks a piece of strawberry from the tray and pops it into her mouth.

"Great. I'll bring you more strawberries later." He turns to leave.

"You suck at bribing, Kudo," she says, to which Shinichi only laughs as he closes the door and leave her to her important research work.

* * *

OOC Shinichi and Shiho, but oh well ^u^'


	5. Thought you needed it

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-05-**

**Thought you needed it**

The sweltering summer afternoon heat is too much for Haibara Ai. Sweat keeps on forming on her forehead and she hates the stuffy feeling she is getting. Regardless, she remains in her place at the bleachers in the soccer field of Teitan High. Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta have gone to buy some cold drinks, their poor attempt to counter the heat.

While fanning her face with her hand, Haibara looks over the field where two sets of players are doing their warm-ups. There, amongst the blue and white striped players, is none other than the cause of her current predicament.

Well, not really.

But the rest of the Detective Boys are there to watch him play at an unofficial game. The summer season has just started and in a few days the opening of the Summer Soccer Tournament for high school will commence. And it will be his first official game as a high school student. Edogawa Conan's, that is.

Haibara watches him deftly move around while keeping the ball to himself. He truly is skillful and he looks to be enjoying the moment more than anything.

One moment he is on the field and then the next he is at their dugout. Before she knows it, he is already jogging towards her direction holding something round, though from afar, she can't make out what it is.

"Yo," first-year high schooler Edogawa Conan casually greets as he sits beside her on the bleacher.

"Hey," she greets back while not really looking at him, and instead focuses her eyes on the field.

"Where are the others?" Conan asks conversationally.

"Went to buy drinks," she simply says. Then she turns her head to face him. "And? Why are you here?"

"You looked lonely."

"I do not."

"And irritated."

"I am not."

Conan merely laughs humorlessly. _Right, maybe not lonely but definitely irritated_, he thought. _Probably due to the heat_, he added. Everybody knows she hates the heat.

On the field, each team starts to gather around for one last pep talk before the start of the game. Conan stands up, ready to leave.

"Here," he places a baseball cap on Haibara's head. "Thought you needed it." He gives her a boyish grin and a mock salute. "Wish me luck, hey?" then he dashes back to their team's dugout.

Haibara smiles, adjusts the cap on her head and silently wishes him luck.

Ayumi, Mitsuhiko and Genta arrive with assorted cold drinks and the game starts.


	6. Let's go home

**DISCLAIMER**: I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-06-**

**Let's go home**

_(Haibara's Point of View)_

It has been a compulsive and a rather stupid decision on my part to go out in the middle of the night. For an eight-year-old girl like me, going out at this time is dangerous. For the eighteen-year-old me, it still is dangerous. Halloween, Christmas, New Year's, and my birthday have passed and we are still not getting any closer to solving the many mysteries that surround the _organization_, let alone take them down. For all I know, they might be lurking around dark corners, watching me and waiting for the opportune moment to take me.

A myriad of thoughts fill my mind which has kept me awake. With the silence and nothing to distract me, I feel like everything there is to think about just comes to me all at once. Being alone in this big, wide world makes me ponder over everything and anything. It made me think. A lot. Surprisingly though, I feel calm and at peace. The beauty of the night somehow must have contributed to such tranquillity; millions of stars sparkle against the dark sky; silence engulfed my surroundings as people succumb to slumber in their own homes, in their own beds.

Happy thoughts, nostalgic memories, heart-warming moments. They come to me like a movie, scenes after scenes flash on my mind, and I smiled.

But then there's the organization. And suddenly, the smile vanishes, to be replaced by a frown. The happy feeling I have earlier is now replaced with fear and worry and anxiety.

I almost forgot that they are still out there, plaguing the world with evil. And they might be after me, a defect. A traitor.

Many times, I feel like giving up; that maybe if I surrender myself to the organization, they will leave alone the people I've come to care – the Professor, the Detective Boys, _him_. Every waking moment of my life, I feel like the organization can take them away from me. Again. Like how they took away the parents I've never come to know and the sister who has been the only family I have left. I don't want that to ever happen. I don't want to take them away from the family who loves them and from the homes they belonged to. I don't want to see them hurt just because I have been a selfish woman who desperately wanted to be out of that hellhole where I have stayed and lived all my life.

Sometimes, I feel guilty staying at the house of someone so gentle and caring and accepting. Sometimes I hurt to see the carefree smiles of the kids I've come to adore, knowing that there is danger lurking around them because of me. Sometimes I hurt to see _him_ look at his childhood friend and all the other teenagers having the best high school of their lives because he couldn't be like them; because I took that liberty away from him.

I don't deserve this home that sheltered me and these people who are so nice to me. I don't deserve this life. I don't deserve Haibara Ai.

Looking around the riverbank from the grassy, pitched ground where I settled myself, I suddenly thought about how things change quickly. It has been so peaceful just a while ago. The night sky, the stars, the still water, the silence – they all look eerie to me now.

Suddenly, I feel vulnerable. I feel weak.

But I decide to stay at the park in the wee hours of the morning. I have stayed, because despite the dangers that may arise, I just don't care anymore. Not about myself, that is. For once, I just want to be carefree.

I bend my knees up and wrap my arms around them. Calm and peace gone, now I just feel empty. I smile bitterly to myself. What am I so disappointed for?

Suddenly, something warm and soft lands on my shoulders. It surprises me to see a dark blue jacket wrapped around my upper torso. I look behind me to see a man – no, a kid, just like me – rubbing his hands together for warmth. I notice that he is dressed lightly and that he is slightly panting.

"Edogawa-kun, what are you doing here?"

"I could ask you the same, Haibara."

I grimace upon hearing my pseudonym but I choose to ignore him and resume my earlier activity – think. Silence engulfs us. Fortunately, he hasn't asked anything more. He merely lies beside me with his hands supporting his head. He gazes the night sky like I have when I arrived. It is silent for a while; I don't know how long we stayed. I even thinm he fell asleep, but after a while, he declares, "Let's go?" I haven't noticed him stand up, yet now he has his arm stretched towards me, offering me to take it. I just stare at it and then at his face.

He shakes it again, "Come on. It's cold."

"What are you really doing here, Edogawa-kun?"

"What else? I came to take you home," he says as he grins that boyish grin of his.

And at that moment, all negative thoughts fly out of my mind. My sentiments, my worries, my problems and guilt, my loneliness. Every bad feeling just vanishes. With just that one word he said – _home_.

He's taking me home.

Do I really deserve this? After all the things I have done, to him especially. After I have ruined his life and put him in this situation. Do I really deserve a place I can call _home_? I believe I don't, so why?

I just stare at his proffered hand, not moving, not taking it. I don't deserve that hand either.

Noticing my hesitance, he takes my hand instead and pulls me to a stand. "Let's go home, Haibara."

And in a moment of selfishness on my part, I let him pull me up. I let him drag me back _home_. Because I know that deep inside of me, I also want to be _home_.


	7. Beautiful

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Detective Conan.

Happy Christmas, everyone!

* * *

**-07-**

**Beautiful**

It is a cold, cold night.

And he feels alone in his huge house with nothing but his thoughts to keep him occupied.

In his solitude, Shinichi cannot help but reminsice. He finds himself thinking of those times when things are, well, less than the ordinary.

He remembers the time he turned small after taking that drug. He remembers when he took his pseudonym and started a new life; when he has lived as Conan Edogawa, because his life has made such a drastic turn ever since then. He has met new people, made friends with some, and made enemies with a few others.

Despite the dangers and other unfortunate events, Shinichi thinks that he will never, not in any way, trade the time he has lived as Conan. Not when he has had several moments, good and bad, with the people he later comes to cherish.

Who will have thought that he will become best friends with Hattori Heiji? Who will have thought that he will be working alongside the FBI and the National Police Agency to bring down a big underground syndicate? Who will have thought that he will become partners with a former member of the same organization? Certainly not him as Shinichi Kudo. He will also never even become friends with the kids who always go camping with him if not for Conan.

In some weird, if not disturbing, way, he finds himself thanking the drug that shrunk him for bringing him to these people. Albeit, he will never condone the creation of such a dangerous drug, but without it, he will have not met its creator herself.

He smiles.

He smiles because he remembers her. Who will have thought that he will come to really care for this person as well? Not Shinichi, that is for sure.

In his solitude, he finds himself wanting to see her, wanting to hear her voice, wanting to be with her at that very moment. It is a sudden longing, but surely it is fine to miss her, right? He has not seen her for some time now.

He thinks, shall he go see her? Or shall he just call her?

And then he decides, why not both?

And so he fishes his phone and dials a familiar number.

Waiting for her to pick up, he walks out to the balcony of the Kudo's old Western house, clad in a thick wool jacket to counter the freezing temperature. He looks up to the sky as the the call is being processed. And for the second time that night, he smiles to himself. This winter night sky is clear and stunning.

When a soft "hello" is heard over the phone, Shinichi braces himself suddenly and stutters a hello back. He is suprised even though he knows she is going to pick up.

"What is it?" she says.

And he jokes how cold she is this Christmas night.

"Well, it is cold," she reasons and he laughs. She is still the same, he thinks.

"Pick up your jacket and come up," Shinichi says.

"What?" She sounds surprised. Who wouldn't be? When you're suddenly told to 'come up'. But where?

But he seems to know what she is thinking as Shinichi adds, "To the roof."

"Why?" she asks.

Even though she cannot see, Shinichi rolls his eyes. "Just do as I say."

And then the call goes silent. The genius detective may have thought that the line is cut if not for the rustling in the background, the soft footstep sounds, and the sound of a door opening and closing. Finally, she lets out a heavy sigh and declares, "I'm here. Now what?"

"Look up."

And from where he stands, he can see her do as he say. He can see the upwards stretch of her lips into a small smile. He can see her get mesmerized at the sight above her.

"Beautiful," she mutters, pertaining to the stars dotting the night sky, and he agrees wholeheartedly as he stares at her.

When he thinks about it now, it will seem like yesterday when they started working together as Conan Edogawa and Ai Haibara, but really, a long, long time has passed. Now, he stands as Shinichi Kudo and she as Shiho Miyano. Different names and different bodies, leading two different lives. Even so, even after all this time and even after everything, she stays unchanging. He is too.

Because they are partners.

And that, he believes, will forever remain.

"Merry Christmas, Haibara," he says.

She looks down from the roof of the Professor's house to him at his balcony. "Merry Christmas, Kudo."

And suddenly, he does not feel so alone anymore.


	8. Everything will work out in the end

**DISCLAIMER: **I do not own Detective Conan.

* * *

**-08-**

**Everything will work out in the end**

Haibara solemnly waits for him in the darkness of her laboratory. In her hands is a clear case containing one unmistakable white pill - the completed antidote to the drug that shrunk both her and him. She has finished making the pill a long time ago but has decided to postpone giving it to him until they officially take down the syndicate. It has been a month since the downfall of what they call the Black Organization, and Haibara finally gathers enough courage to let go of the man she has come to care.

The door suddenly opens and the distinctive voice of Edogawa Conan reverberates in the small room. "Woah, what's with the lights off, Haibara?" Conan promptly flicks the switch and light immediately floods the basement-laboratory.

Haibara cringes a little at the sudden change of view. She turns her swivel chair around to face him. There stands Conan who is casually flipping through her files on the other table.

"Don't touch my papers, Kudo," Haibara emotionlessly says.

"I was only looking, geez." Conan turns to her and with a questioning look, asks, "So, what brought up this urgent meeting?"

Turning to her desk so her back faces him, Haibara nonchalantly tells him, "You should start preparing."

Confused, Conan asks, "Prepare for what?" "For Edogawa Conan's departure from Beika."  
"What?"

"I suggest you ask help from your parents so the process will go smooth," Haibara says casually as she types something on her keyboard. "And I suggest you do it as soon as possible. The longer you postpone this, the longer your princess is going to wait for you."

Stammering and extremely confused this time, Conan replies, "Wait, wai- what? Why?"

Haibara sighs and turns back to face him once more. Conan looks genuinely lost so to sum up the situation, she tosses the clear case to him, which he easily catches.

Conan examines the case. Albeit already knowing what it is (Haibara knows based on his serious expression), he still asks. "What's this?"

"What do you think?"

"Th- Is this the permanent antidote?" Conan's expression is unreadable. Haibara simply hums her confirmation.

Silence falls between them. If it has not been for to the ticking clock, she may have thought time has stopped. She counts the ticking, 20 seconds has passed and still no visible reaction from him. On the 28th tick, Conan's face breaks into a happy grin and he runs to Haibara. He hugs her tight while exclaiming 'yes' over and over again. He is so happy that Haibara cannot help but smile too.

When he breaks the hug, he starts to blabber merrily. "I already have a plan in mind. I'm going to call mom as soon as I get out. I'm going to ask for Ms. Jodie's help too." He looks contemplative for a moment. "I guess I'll also call Hattori. The idiot's going to complain if I don't tell him about this." He continues to tell Haibara of his plans, while the former merely sits and stays silent.

Awhile later, he notices his partner's silence and her lack of enthusiasm. Warily, he asks her. "How about you Haibara?"

The shrunk scientist just shrugs her shoulders and promptly turns back to her computer.

"You're taking the pill too, right?"

Haibara stops whatever she is doing and nonchalantly says without facing him ,"I only made one pill."

"What?" Conan exclaims. "Why?"

"I don't really need it, Kudo-kun. Unlike you, I have nothing and no one to go back to as Miyano Shiho. As Haibara Ai, I have the Professor and the kids."

"But... You'll have me," he says quietly. "You'll have Kudo Shinichi."

Haibara once again turns to face him, a rueful and somewhat sad smile on her face. "As far as the world knows, Kudo Shinichi and Miyano Shiho do not know each other."

"The hell with what the world knows!" He yells. "After everything, I can't just ignore you, Haibara."

"Exactly. You can't just ignore Haibara, but you can forget about Miyano."

Conan starts to protest but Haibara continues.

"It's fine, Kudo. Just focus on going back to your angel and everything will work out in the end." Haibara for the last time turns her back on him, not wanting him to see her vulnerable and tearing up.


End file.
